Schwartz, from Walnut Creek, near
Berkeley, California, became infamous for trying to fake his own death by trying
to erase identification marks on another man's dead body to make it appear that
Schwartz himself had died. On 30th July 1925 a fire and explosion
wrecked his laboratory where he carried out chemical research.
Schwartz was a married man of 36 years who had three children. The charred
remains of a body were found in the ruins, and at first sight it appeared that
Schwartz might have killed himself accidentally.

The fire chief had doubts about the fire
and these were strengthened by a mysterious break in to the house when
several photographs of Schwartz were stolen. A man had also been
seen leaving the scene in Schwartz's car.

The fingerprints of the victim were
destroyed with acid, and the eyes had been removed, but dental comparisons
showed that the victim had two missing teeth like Schwartz. Then Dr
Edward Heinrich compared the dead man's ear lobe with a photograph of Schwartz
and established that Schwartz did not have a mole on his ear. The
victim had in fact been killed by a blow to the back of his head, and was later
identified as Gilbert Barbe, an itinerant preacher and a friend of Schwartz.

Schwartz was later found dead in Oakland.
He had committed suicide after leaving a note confessing his guilt.